STI LAP_Layout 1 7/10/13 12:47 PM Page 1 July/August 2013 – Vol.37 No.5 – www.steeltimesint.com NEWS OXYGEN STEELMAKING STEEL PROCESSING CONFERENCE REPORTS STEEL TIMES INTERNATIONAL – July/August 2013 STEEL TIMES INTERNATIONAL – Vol.37 No.5 – Vol.37 contents_Contents_STI_Mar10 7/11/13 8:20 AM Page 3 July/August 2013 Contents Vol.37/No.5 July/August 2013 – Vol.37 No.5 – www.steeltimesint.com Front cover image NEWS OXYGEN STEELMAKING STEEL PROCESSING CONFERENCE REPORTS courtesy of LAP EDITORIAL Editor Tim Smith PhD, CEng, MIM Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855154 [email protected] Production Editor Annie Baker SALES International Sales Manager Paul Rossage [email protected] Oxygen steelmaking – Page 19 Steel processing – Page 31 Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855116 Area Sales Manager Anne Considine [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855139 Sales Director Ken Clark [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855117 Marketing Executive Annie O’Brien [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 1737 855012 Advertisement Production Martin Lawrence [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION Elizabeth Barford Tel +44 (0) 1737 855028 Fax +44 (0) 1737 855034 Email [email protected] Conference report – Page 32 Conference report – Page 37 Steel Times International is published eight times a year and is available on subscription. Annual subscription: UK £163.00 Other countries: £233.00 2 years subscription: UK £293.00 Other countries: £419.00 ) News Single copy (inc postage): £37.00 News – Eurofer tells EC to stop ETS interventionism 2 Email: [email protected] Statistics & Events – May crude driven by China 8 USA Update – Sparks of life improve utilisation 10 Published by: Latin America Update – What next for Mexico’s Deacero minimills 12 Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, China Update – Anti-dumping duty on Chinese stainless tube 14 Redhill, Surrey, RH1 1QX, England. Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000 Japan Update – Africa, opportunity and partnership for Japan 15 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034 India Update – Dismal manufacturing retards steel growth 16 www.steeltimesint.com Steel Times International (USPS No: 020-958) is published Oxygen steelmaking monthly except Feb, May, July, Dec by Quartz Business Media Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Sixty years of oxygen steelmaking 19 Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER send address changes to Steel Times International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA Dry vacuum pump degassing 17318-0437. Latest developments in mechanical vacuum pumps for steel degassing 24 Printed in England by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent NP12 2YA, UK Steel processing ©Quartz Business Media Ltd 2013 Fast tooling change for Chinese slitter 31 Conference reports AISTech 2013 – A report on the annual event 32 Eurocoke Summit 2013 37 Platts Steel Markets Europe 2013 40 History: One hundred years of stainless steel 44 ISSN 0143-7798 www.steeltimesint.com Steel Times International – July/August 2013 – 1 STI news july aug_Layout 1 7/10/13 12:26 PM Page 1 News in Brief World News www.steeltimesint.com Europe crisis affecting US GDP Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Eurofer tells EC to stop ETS Bernanke says that the growth of jobs in USA has been weak in part because it is impacted by the prob- interventionism lems experienced in Europe. Tying the need to reduce federal budget Eurofer criticises the approval of According to the decision of the allowing only one such adaptation deficits together with the drag on backloading (removal) of emission EU parliament, 900 million carbon of the ETS. the economy caused by the eco- allowances by the European emission allowances will be taken Eurofer believes that the meas- nomic problems of Europe, he esti- Parliament. out of the market with the aim of ure does not improve the function- mated that the two factors will “The decision will needlessly increasing prices for the certifi- ing of the ETS trading scheme. reduce economic growth in the US increase energy cost for the cates traded within the EU “It is a fact that backloading is by between 1-1.5% growth in GDP European steel industry and the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). not necessary for reaching the ETS in 2013. industry in general at a time of cri- This proposal from the European targets. Source AIIS www.aiis.org sis,” says Gordon Moffat, Director Commission had already been Today’s decision represents General of the European Steel rejected by the European unnecessary interference in a mar- EU Anti-dumping against Indian Association. “It is time to stop Parliament in April this year. ket-based system.It once more stainless wire piecemeal interventionism and Today, the Parliament voted again undermines confidence in the pol- The European Commission has think about a stable framework for on the proposal, limiting the icy framework, which is so urgent- imposed provisional anti-dumping growth in Europe. Globally compet- amount of certificates which may ly needed for investment.”, said and anti-subsidy duties of up to itive energy costs are part of this.” be withheld to 900 million and Gordon Moffat. 32.1% on stainless steel drawn wire from India. The anti-dumping and anti-subsidy complaints were filed by Eurofer in June 2012. Dumped US market revival may be short lived imports from India now represent over 19% of European Union con- While the US steel market in mid- The underlying economic data, from 7.5% in April to 7.6% in May sumption of stainless steel drawn June started to show some signs of AIIS report in their June an increase of 175 000 jobs lost, wire. At the same time they make life, the American Institute for Newsletter, do not provide reasons and, while the size of the labour up for more than 50% of total International Steel (AIIS) question for much optimism. market increased slightly, this was stainless wire imports into the EU. whether this is another minor blip The US Department of Labour mainly in the Service Sector. The Source: Eurofer www.eurofer.eu in the inventory restocking cycles released its monthly unemployment long-term unemployment data that have occurred since the so- data in early June, which showed a showed no change from April. AIIS leader retires October called ‘end of the Great Recession’. small increase in unemployment, Source AIIS www.aiis.org The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) has announced that long standing President, David Phelps, will retire on the 1st October. Phelps has led Karnataka state reopens mining the Institute for the past 17 years. The Supreme Court of the state of years for the mines to become fully due to issues such as small lease- Karnataka, India, has ruled that operational, and that when they hold or resettlement and rehabili- India increases use of scrap mining at category A and B desig- are annual production for the state tation issues. The Metal Recycling Association of nated mines can resume after will be around 25Mt. Karnataka used to produce 40- India has estimated that the coun- investigations into illegal mining Around 115 mines have been 50Mt/y of ore, the second largest try’s imports of steel scrap for the operations meant that production granted approval to resume opera- production in the country. For the FY 2012/13 will be up 25% from in the state was put on hold. tions, although approximately 40 current financial year production is the previous year, to 7.5Mt. It is thought it will take over two of these will not be able to start not expected to exceed 15Mt. It is cheaper for southern and west- ern Indian steel plants to import scrap to feed their furnaces, than to transport sponge iron (DRI) from Siemens to supply two eastern regions of the country. India approves Mega steel plant planned for Arvedi ESP lines to China new projects Jharkhand JSW Steel is hoping to be the first A Chinese steel producer has alloyed (HSLA) grades and dual- The Indian state task force on steel company to set up a mega green- placed an order for two ESP phase steels will be produced. has approved eight new proposals field steel plant in Jharkhand, India. (Endless Strip Production) lines The Chinese company will worth a total of INR 100.53bn Ground level work of the steel plant which directly link a high speed receive technical support and assis- (US$1.7bn), including one steel is expected to start in 2013/14, as thin slab caster to the rolling mill tance for plant start-up and opera- plant and numerous pelletisation the company has acquired around without any need to crop the tions by personnel from the exist- projects. 1500 acres of land at Sonahatu in strand before entering the mill. ing ESP plant at Acciaieria Arvedi The proposal for the new steel the Ranchi district of the state. The The energy consumption of this SpA, Italy. The contactor to build plant is from Kalinga Steel Tech plant is expected to have an annual type of casting-rolling facility and the plant is Siemens Metals Pvt Ltd, and is for a 1.2Mt/y inte- production capacity of 10Mt. the related costs are reduced by up Technologies. grated steel plant in the to 45% compared to conventional These casting-rolling facilities Sundargarh district of India. casting and rolling processes. This will be part of a new steelmaking As for the remaining pelletisa- results in a major reduction in CO2 facility currently under construc- tion projects, the largest invest- emissions. tion in China. ment proposal is from Jindal Steel The new plants are designed for & Power Ltd, who are proposing a an annual production capacity of 2 5Mt/y iron ore pellet plant in the x 2.6Mt of high-quality, ultra-thin, Keonjhar district.